Cars Drive In, But They Don’t Drive Out

Don’t know about you, but when we think about driving in the city we start to get slight palpitations. Part of it could be that we’re used to walking and Septa; the thought of paying exorbitant amounts to park in UCity on a Friday night convinces us that the El isn’t so bad after all. Plus, there’s storage: when we were living on the outskirts of Center City a parking spot would have cost 2/3 of our rent. Don’t get us started on the exhaust fumes, particularly those from the ancient chariots some of us have to drive around in because after parking costs we can’t afford an upgrade. But there are times when having a car is a necessity, even in the city. You need one to escape the heat and exhaust for the cool ocean breeze in the summer for instance, or to do an IKEA run. And so a balance must be struck.

Enter Zipcar. Like Philly Carshare, Zipcar is a car-sharing organization; sign up for membership, and then you pay for a car when you need one. Sound good? Ready to give up the perils of car-ownership for good? If so head to Zipcar’s "Drive In, Don’t Drive Out" event tonight at the Academy of Natural Sciences. Donate your old car to charity and receive free membership and a $250 Zipcar driving credit. There’s a reception at 5PM catered by Whole Foods, followed by a free screening of the National Geographic film Artic Tale at 7PM. Zipcar is trying to raise awareness of global warming and to get old cars and their attendant pollution off the roads. Look at that polar bear. You don’t want him to get too warm, do you? Especially since he can’t drive to the shore if things get too steamy…

Drive In, Don’t Drive Out
Academy of Natural Sciences
1900 Ben Franklin Parkway
Wednesday, March 5, 5PM
Free

Image via Zipcar